Anonymous said...
And.....reading this morning's DDT, I see that the restaurants are harping about the proposed smoking ban. I'd really like to tell Mr. Warren at Gus' Restaurant that I'd actually come back to his restaurant if he could get the smokers out of there. His waitresses are the worst offenders! My family enjoyed eating there after church years ago, but the smoke was so offensive, that we stopped going.
There is a non-smoking section in the back of the restaurant, but the non-smokers had to walk through the entire length of the smoking portion to reach it. And the waitresses positioned themselves at a table just outside the entrance to the non-smoking section and enjoyed the longest, foulest cigarette breaks imaginable.
A person can't even TASTE the food once the air has been fouled with all of that smoke. Lose the smoke, and I'll come back!
Unlike Greenwood, which banned smoking in ALL public establishments, Greenville has chosen to "selectively" ban smoking which has consequently made everyone mad. The non-smokers are mad because they still can not go to a downtown bar, restaurant or casino without being poisoned by second-hand smoke.
The owners of the more "family-oriented" restaurants are outraged that the government can dictate how they operate their business, while carving out "exceptions" for a privileged few.
So, who actually wins in this arbitrary smoking ban? Non-smokers? No, they are still restricted in where they can go for food and entertainment. Smokers? No, there will still be fewer places for them to pollute. Business owners? No, unless you are among the select few chosen to be exempt of the city's ban.
Is Greenville's smoking ban about protecting our citizen's health, reducing the number of tobacco-related deaths each year, or decreasing the spiraling cost of health care? Absolutely NOT!
It is about a spineless group of self-serving politicians who are too greedy to do the right thing. It is about keeping the "tax dollars" in the city coffers for pet projects. It is about MONEY!
Let's be realistic. Greenville casinos don't generate any tourism revenue for the city. They simply serve as convenient "clubhouses" for our poorest citizens to partake of their multiple addictions... tobacco, alcohol and gambling. Sure, if you banned smoking and "free" drinking in our casinos, they would probably disappear in six weeks. That alone should tell you why Greenville is giving them a "pass".
In the 15+ years that Casinos have plagued Greenville, what improvements have we seen as a result? Do they offer quality restaurants, shops, or other non-gambling attractions? Have they significantly developed the downtown infrastructure with streets and buildings? Do they offer shows and feature known entertainers that might attract some limited tourism? The answer to all of these questions is "No"... and yet the casinos' ability to sustain a profit seems to be paramount over our city's concern for the health of our citizens.
Greenwood took the high road, choosing to ban smoking across the board in an attempt to improve citizen's quality and quantity of life. Sure, some did not approve of the decision, but at least the decision was fair and equitable to all business owners alike.
Greenville chose the path of politics as usual, doling out pardons to those who contribute significantly to their personal and political gain. To paraphrase JFK...
"Ask not, what your local politicians can do for you; ask rather, what you can do for your local politicians."
Forthright
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6 comments:
I think the Non Smokers should Jump off thier soapbox. A private business should have the right to set thier own policy with regard to a legal activity. Mississippi
is leading the nation in obesity and costing tax payers billions in health care. Should these fat folks be denied service at Popeyes or McDonalds. I say hell yes. People should make thier own choice on where to eat or where to party. Over 80% of the night life people smoke. One Restaurant in Ridgeland is losing $1500.00 a day sense the smoking ban was approved.
Greenville can not afford to loose any more businesses for any reason.
Deny our Mayor fast food NOW.
I think the Non Smokers should Jump off thier soapbox. A private business should have the right to set thier own policy with regard to a legal activity. Mississippi
is leading the nation in obesity and costing tax payers billions in health care. Should these fat folks be denied service at Popeyes or McDonalds. I say hell yes. People should make thier own choice on where to eat or where to party. Over 80% of the night life people smoke. One Restaurant in Ridgeland is losing $1500.00 a day sense the smoking ban was approved.
Greenville can not afford to loose any more businesses for any reason.
Deny our Mayor fast food NOW.
While I often agree with Forthright's opinions, I'm going to have to respectfully disagree with this one....
The City can, with complete justification, ban smoking in truly "public" buildings -- buildings which the City owns. Similarly, the owners of privately held businesses that are open to the public may well decide -- and many of them have -- to forbid smoking in their places of business. I'd venture to say that the vast majority of places of business in Greenville are non-smoking areas.
However, it seems to me that a government goes over the line when it unilaterally decides to force its will on business owners to forbid what is otherwise a perfectly legal practice at that business location. After all, no one is required to patronize any particular restaurant, and those who are offended by smoke have numerous choices of smoke-free restaurants at which to eat. Instead, the new "legislation" strikes me as a fairly heavy handed decision by non-smokers that, by golly, they're going to force Mr. Business Owner to run his/her business as THEY want it run. There's just something unAmerican about this mindset (although, by now, we all should be accustomed to the continued erosion of our personal liberties by various governmental edicts).
There's a simple solution to this problem. If one is bothered by smoke, then one should eat elsewhere, and let the free market determine the effect of that decision on a business. I'm confident that if sufficient patrons abandon a restaurant that allows smoking, the owner will make his own decision concerning the smoking issue.
Smokers just don't get it! Smoking is not a God given right, but breathing is! Sure, smoking is legal drug use and if you choose to kill yourself by using tobacco, you certainly have that right! However, you don't have the right to kill me with your drug. Hey guys....It's not about YOUR rights, it is about MINE!
Smoking has been proven to cause millions of deaths each year. To my knowledge, abstaining from smoking for 2 to 4 hours has yet to claim a single victim. No one denys smokers the right to kill themselves. Just don't take me out with you.
Smoking bans are about protecting peoples health, not drug users perceived "rights". It is so easy for smokers to say, if you don't like smoke, stay away from the places that allow it. So, what if I don't choose to breathe smoke, but I would like to go to a bar or casino in Greenville?
S**t outta luck! Where are the non-smoking bars and casinos??? So where are MY rights if I choose to gamble my money but not my life?
Most of the smokers I know are major hypocrites. They don't smoke in their offices, homes, around their children or even in their cars because they know it is a nasty, foul habbit that is dangerous to others.
But let them get out into "recreational" airspace, and suddenly everyone should have to just deal with their nasty smoke!
The day they legalize homocide is the day we can justify smoking in public places!
The next thing you know, the Mayor and her cronies will want to outlaw smoking crack and marihuana in the hood!
I lived in Arkansas. There they also have a ban on smoking in public restaurants. But the places are still packed with lines of people waiting to get in. Smokers simply wait until there meal is done and either walk outside or wait until they leave. Everyone is happy seams ok with the ban once they get used to the idea.
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